Thursday, January 1, 2004

Nathan and Matthew

As you may have heard, Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick are back in the Broadway edition of The Producers for a few months. Tickets are just about impossible to get but those who get them should have a very good time.

There have been, we hear, a few alterations in the show, including a change in what may be my favorite line. In the old version, there's a moment where Leo (Broderick) mutters something about them investing in the show they're about to produce, Springtime for Hitler. Max (Lane) gasps in horror and then lectures him, "There are two rules in the theater. Number one, never put your own money in the show! And number two, NEVER PUT YOUR OWN MONEY IN THE SHOW!"

After he yells the second part, Lane now adds, "That's taboo!"

(Explanation for those who don't get it: One of the bigger stories around Broadway is that the Boy George show, Taboo, is fighting for survival. It was completely financed by Rosie O'Donnell.)

My friend Brad Oscar is back as Nathan's stand-by, though he is not playing Franz Liebkind as he did before when Mr. Lane was in the show. Presumably (I haven't talked to him), Brad is lounging around his apartment, taking it easy and being very well-paid to be in town and available, just in case. I hope he resumes a regular lead slot soon because I only got to see him play the Nazi, and would love to see him play Max.

• Posted at 4:05 PM · LINK

2004

This is as good a time as any for me to thank all the friends I've made doing my two little websites and all the help you've been to me and each other. I'd also like to thank those of you who've sent bucks. When I started this, I was getting a certain amount of bandwidth for free and didn't figure it would ever cost me anything more than my time. I've been getting so many hits here that it's started to run into money, so I appreciate the occasional PayPal donation...and, yes, I made that an active link for a reason, hint hint.

I don't go out on New Year's Eve. One year, a lady friend insisted we "party hop" to three shindigs and it was one of the worst evenings of my life. Noisy gatherings where you couldn't hear what anyone else said. People who had had too much to drink trying to be funny. People who had had too much to drink trying to drive. People who weren't having fun trying to pretend they were. Then one year, I was in Vegas when the year ended and though that was fun, it was not something I'm eager to repeat.

It's nice that I can stay home tonight with a loved one and also, through the miracle of the Internet, communicate a little with others. Hello, out there! Whoever you are, if you routinely find your way to this site, even via Google search, we probably have something in common. I hope '03 was good for you and I hope '04 is better for all of us in every way. Let's do what we can to make that happen.

• Posted at 12:19 AM · LINK